Gyratory fan.



F. H. MILLER.

GYHATORY FAN.

APPLICATION FILED MY 1 1 914.

1,227,291 I Patented M: 1y22, 19i7.

'WITNESSES: A |N-VE NTOR To all 'a citizen.

UNITED STATES PATENT orrron HOUSE'ELEGTBIC II I ANT IIAO' IURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYL',

VANIA.

tmay concern-i I v n that I, FREDERICK H. MILLER, e United States, and a .resident of- Wilk n bhrg, in the county of Allegheny and State:kit- Pennsylvania, hate invented a new an'd' useful Improvement in Be it lino fication.

invention relates to rotary electric f ns,"and it' has particular reference to gytori fans that are. adapted to turn on an axis of rotation while simultaneously and automatically turning about an axis of revolution.

' One object of my invention is to providea gyratory fan having simple and efl'ectivfe mechanical means for effecting .both. the reg 'tation and the revolution of the fan'blades.

Another object of my invention is to pro; vide a gyratory fan in which a plurality of sets of fan blades are driven y a single prime mover; I

Another objectof my invention is to provide a gyratory fan of compact and durable construction, the fan members of which may be readily adjusted to deliver air currentseither-horizontally or at any desired upward or downward inclination;

,The single figure of the accompanying drawing is a vertical sectional view of a.

n embodying my invention.

In designing rotary fans of the ceiling and column type, attempts haw heretofore been made to substitute, for the .usual paddle blades, a set of inde endently .ro-, tating fans, similar to the amihar' desk and bracket fans, which rotate about an apceiling -proximately horizontal axis and are also caused to revolve about a common vertical axis so as to force currents of air horizon tally in, all directions. The fans .ofthis type, as heretofore designed, have been made up of two or more fan motorsmounted on' a rotatablesupport, and the diflicul however,

suppo'rt when the thrust of the fans rotationof the support has usually. been effected by inclining the fan motors on their vertical axes and s generating a backward reaction or thrust, as the fans rotate, thereby causing the support to revolve. It 1s to obtain regular rotation the is, -"ed upon asthe driving force, and it is hle to rotate the support as slowly as is sometimes desirab1e. I have provided Specification oi Letters Patent.

, :atory Fans, of w ich the following is a .Coupled to the lower en shaft of the motor is a shaft 8 which ro-' Grammar a;

a fan of the general type. above described I.

which both the rotation of the fans and their reyolution about their common axis are"pos1t1vely and mechanically effected, and 1n which asingle motor drives'all of tate ata speed which can be varied within a wide range.

Referring-now to the drawing, a plurality of sets'of fan blades 1 are secured to rannnmcxn; MILLER, or 'wrLxnzs'nune, PENNSYLVANIA, assrenoii 'ro mama-:13;

V t a Patented May 22, 191 application filed-Hay 11 1914. Serial No. 837,728. I i

the fans and'al so causes their support to lo the outer, ends of a like. number of hori- 5 zontal shafts-Q-tbat are supported in bearlngs 1n a hollow casing3q The casin 3 consists of tubular arms 4, one of which surrounds each of the shafts 2, and a cylindrical casing 5 that is approximately perpendicular. to the first mentioned tubular ars.

' provlde'means for rotating the fans 1 and for slmultaneously rotating the casing 3 about its vertical axis, the said --means comprising, in the example shown 'in the drawing,'a sin le motor having stationary field magnets and a r tary armature 6.

of the-armature tates at the same speed as the armature. shaft and in alinernent therewith. The shaft 8-terminates in a bevel gearwheel 9 that meshes with similar bevel gear wheels 10, one of which is secured to the inner end of each. of the shafts 2. It will be evident that the shaft Sand the bevel gearing described will cause the fans 1 to rotatewith the armature shaft of the motor, and at a speed depending upon the relative numbers of teeth in the gear: wheels 9 and 10. It

will also'be apparent that other power 'than the armature shaft ofthe motor, and

I therefore provide Speed-freducin gearing between the armature sha t and t e casing 3. In the" embodiment of my inventionshown in the drawing, such gearing com.-;.- prises a meshes with a gear wheel 12, of much large1'-" disk small pinion :11 on the shaft 8 that;

, diameter than pinion 11.' The gear balls 17 disposed in a circular ball-race 18 wheel 12, is nted on a stub shaft 13,"on:

which is ale mounted a small pinion 14- that meshes with a gear wheel'15 secured to the uppe r-end of the cylindrical portion 5* of the r'a'sing 3. By the train of"gearing just'd'gibed, the rapid rotation of the ar-' matur' aft is converted into slow rotation ofZ-t closed Within a casing 16 of any-desired 0rnamental form, and the casing 16 is pro vided with means'for rotatably supporting the upper end of the cylindrical arm 5 of ;the casing '3. As shownon the drawing, such supporting means comprises bearing and supporting a bearing ring 19 thatmay either be formed integral with the gear wheel 15, as shown,- or be secured, in any other suitable manner, to the casing. 3.

If it is desired to combine my fan structure with a stationary electrolier, the armature shaft of the driving motor and the shaft 8 may be hollow," and a stationary rod 20 may extend through both :of these hollow shafts to a point below the bevel gear wheels 9 and 10 and may support, at its lower end, electric lamps 21 of any su1t-.

able form and arrangement; The rod 20 may be composed of insulated conductors for supplying current to the lamps of the 'electrolier and also for bringing the terminals of the motor 'c1rcu1t within convenient reach for starting and stopping the motor.-

One or moreswitches 22 may be fixed to the lower end of the rod 20 for controlling the" excitation-and speed'of the motor and the illumination of the lamps.

I prefer to secure the fans 1 to the outer ends of the shafts 2 in such a manner as to permit. their vertical nclination to be readily varied, so that they may be caused .to

deliver air eitherhorizontally, downwardly I or upwardly- In the structure shown in thedrawing, this adjustable connection comprises a short length 23. of flexible shafting, by means of which each fan is secured to its shaft 2. The-tubular arms 4 of the casing 3 are provided with joints 24:, which perm t the outer ends of the arms 4-to adapt .""obvious that it is equally 'applicab e to fans ;:='c'asing 3. The driving motor is ini the a pended claims.

themselves to the inclination of the short flexible shafts 23. v v While I have described my. invention as applied to a fan of the ceiling t pe, it is of 'the column type, and, under somefciis oumstances, it may also be employed in fans in which the support rotates in other than. a horizontal plane. Other changes "and modifications may readily be'made in the 00 structure shown and describedwithoutdeparting. from the spirit of my invention,

' and-I therefore desire that only such limitations shall be imposed as are indicated in -I c aim as my invention:

1. A gyratory fan comprising a plurality mechanism for fans comduction gearing connect- -;-'sai-d motor, a .casing inclos ng said motor and said gearing, a cylindrical -casing axially alined with saidmotor shaft, a gear member carried by said casing and meshing with said reduction" gearing and a plurality .o balls circumferentially arrangedbetween said gear member and said motor casing for rotatably suppoit pgsmd cylindrical casing.

n testlmony whereof,- I have I hereunto igpicribed my name this 28th day" of April,

FREDERICK H. MILLER. Witnesses:

B. HINES,

=? C. MERZ. 

